This is horrendous and needs to stop.

[ciaobaby]

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/science/research-monkey-at-uw-dies-of-thirst/

I wrote to the University president, Ana Mari Cauce @ [e-mail]
Also, the Office of Animal Welfare (obviously need a new title) @ [e-mail]

My email include the following:

Animal testing is cruel and inhumane.
Alternative testing methods now exist that can replace the need for animals.
Animals are very different from human beings and therefore make poor test subjects.
Drugs that pass animal tests are not necessarily safe.
Animal tests may mislead researchers into ignoring potential cures and treatments.
95% of animals used in experiments are not protected by the Animal Welfare Act
Animal tests do not reliably predict results in human beings.
Animal tests are more expensive than alternative methods and are a waste of government research dollars.
Most experiments involving animals are flawed, wasting the lives of the animal subjects.
Animals can suffer like humans do, so it is speciesism to experiment on them while we refrain from experimenting on humans.
The Animal Welfare Act has not succeeded in preventing horrific cases of animal abuse in research laboratories.
Religious traditions tell us to be merciful to animals, so we should not cause them suffering by experimenting on them.
Medical breakthroughs involving animal research may still have been made without the use of animals

[Warpy]

1. Oh, phooey, not this again

The animal testing model is the best one we have for in vivo studies.

Some drugs found unsuitable for humans have been found suitable for animals. Some drugs found suitable in humans have had very different actions in animals, which are often very beneficial to the animals. Ask any veterinarian how many new drugs he's seen to treat sick animals in the past 25 years and you'll be very surprised.

If you want medical science to stop dead, ban animal testing. That means for us and for them.

Humans are also tested, by the way, in small scale testing on healthy subjects and larger scale testing on people who are ill.

Any website that says you can go from in vitro to human testing is full of shit. Any website that tells you there is a better model for early testing than the animal model is full of shit.

Should researchers be charged with animal cruelty if test animals suffer or die needlessly? Yes. However, animals are our best allies in the fight against illness in humans and in animals.

[ciaobaby]

2. WOW - why are you even on this group.

In case you are not aware, this group is intended for people who are concerned with animal rights.
You obviously don't give a shit so I suggest you find a group that promotes cruelty to animals.

And just as an FYI - humans are tested when they volunteer and are not kept captive in cages with minimal care. And humans have a voice, they can express pain and discomfort. To compare animal testing to human testing is at best ignorant.

If you posted just to piss me off - congratulations !

[Warpy]

9. Because it's disinformation on the main page

I'm all for throwing the animal cruelty book at factory farmers and bad researchers in whose care animals are suffering and dying. You do need to realize that not all researchers are callous shitheads who mistreat animals.

If and when we come up with a better model than the animal model, I'll be first in line to report it and cheer for it. It just hasn't happened yet.

[Eatbeef]

10. What's the point

Why post anything at all if you're just looking for people to nod in agreement? Warpy is entirely right. There is not better option if you want to cure things like cancer. Recently, a drug called fenbendazol was accidentally found to have amazing prospects of treating and preventing aggressive cancers. It is a de wormer used in livestock and other animals. They were studying the most aggressive form of brain cancer in rats when they got a pin worm infestation. The used the deformed and found the could no longer to get tumors to grow. This stuff has been around since the 70s and cost next to nothing with almost no side effects and has recently been approved for use in humans as an anti parasitic. Now they're testing it's effectiveness in humans against cancer. Without animal testing, where would that be? Unfortunately, the rights to the drug has been sold to a major company that will probably jack the price up so high for something that is so cheap.

[58Sunliner]

7. Well, they aren't really our "allies" are they?

They are forced to put up with what we do to them, no matter how awful it is. More like our prisoners.

[ciaobaby]

4. Don't assume anything about me.

You and your friend can start your own group about how animal torture is so very important.
I would sincerely request you stay out of groups you disagree with. Like this one.

[58Sunliner]

5. That is awful and so is the accepted practice of animal testing that

keeps animals caged and abused. I often wonder what would be possible if we simply did not accept such abuse. We won't know until we force ourselves to have a humane way of advancing medical science with respect for all life forms. The possibilities may surprise us.
I am sorry that poster was so abusive. How awful.

[ciaobaby]

6. Thank you ! I needed that.

[58Sunliner]

8. My pleasure. Rather disheartening that people can't get through the denial of animal abuse.

Off to bed! Good night.